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The King's Rose

by Alisa M. Libby (Goodreads Author)

3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 · rating details · 702 ratings · 154 reviews

Life in the court of King Henry VIII is a complex game. When fifteen-year-old Catherine Howard catches the king?s eye, she quickly transforms from pawn to queen. But even luxury beyond imagination loses its luster as young Catherine finds her life?and her heart?threatened by the needs of an aging king and a family hungry for power. Will their agendas deliver Catherine to t...more

Hardcover, 297 pages

Published March 19th 2009 by Dutton Juvenile (first published February 12th 2009)

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Jan 24, 2009 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars

Libby, Alisa. M. 2009. (March 2009) THE KING'S ROSE. Dutton. 296.

The King's Rose is one of those books that just captured my attention (and my heart!). It is a fictionalized account of Catherine Howard, and for those not in the know, she was the fifth wife of Henry VIII. Catherine Howard was just fifteen (perhaps even fourteen) when she caught the lusty eyes of the King. (And Henry liked them young.) Catherine's tale is tragic in that while the king chose her...she quite honestly didn't have a c...more Libby, Alisa. M. 2009. (March 2009) THE KING'S ROSE. Dutton. 296.

The King's Rose is one of those books that just captured my attention (and my heart!). It is a fictionalized account of Catherine Howard, and for those not in the know, she was the fifth wife of Henry VIII. Catherine Howard was just fifteen (perhaps even fourteen) when she caught the lusty eyes of the King. (And Henry liked them young.) Catherine's tale is tragic in that while the king chose her...she quite honestly didn't have a choice in the matter. Prompted and urged by her family--she became the person they created her to be, that the king wanted or needed her to be. And thus her life of deception began. For Catherine has a secret or two that may be her undoing...

The king is in love with me. But who am I? Who is this girl that the Howards created out of their words, to whom the king has given his love? I am King Henry's sweet wife--Catherine Howard, no more. I wonder if God can see me now, see the treason in my heart. I squeeze my eyes shut, pushing these thoughts from my mind. I am a player upon a stage, even when the stage is a bed, even in an intimate moment such as this, with no costume or mask to cover my nakedness, I must play my part well, especially in an intimate moment such as this. I must become my role, and nothing else. (56)

She's haunted by a kiss shared with her distant cousin, one of the King's men, Thomas Culpepper, a perfect kiss with much promise...because it occurred before she caught the King's attention.

My life will be more than I ever could have imagined--but perhaps it will also be a little bit less. All of this must be put aside now, the words and dreams that led to his perfect kiss, near midnight in the dark garden at Westminster, and all the happiness that kiss seemed sure to promise. This was a different Catherine who received these letters, who responded to that kiss--since then I have been transformed by the king's eyes, by the royal jewels around my neck and a cloth-of-gold gown...but who is the real Catherine: the shadow or the light? The smoke or the flame? (44)

The King's Rose is engaging and richly detailed. Libby is an excellent storyteller. It's just not the story itself that is fascinating, but how the story is told that makes it so captivating.(less)

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Apr 01, 2009 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Born into the ambitious Howard family, Catherine has never had much control over her life and fate. Her cousin, the infamous Anne Boleyn, lured King Henry VIII into marriage then met a grisly end. Hoping for a marriage that will benefit the family, Catherine’s relatives send her to court in 1540, when she is fifteen. There, Catherine catches the eye of the king, who decides to divorce his current wife, Anne of Cleves, and marry her. Though Catherine would prefer to marry for love, one does not r...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Firstly, many thanks go to Ms. Libby for sending me a copy of her book! I really enjoyed reading it, as you will see...

Well, I imagine that if you had any dreams of being the queen of England, you would likely reconsider them after reading this novel. Libby's breathtaking presentation of Catherine Howard's story certainly gives a revealing account of what it likely would have been like to be a young queen in Tudor England. There is nothing romantic about the life Catherine is forced to lead--she...more Firstly, many thanks go to Ms. Libby for sending me a copy of her book! I really enjoyed reading it, as you will see...

Well, I imagine that if you had any dreams of being the queen of England, you would likely reconsider them after reading this novel. Libby's breathtaking presentation of Catherine Howard's story certainly gives a revealing account of what it likely would have been like to be a young queen in Tudor England. There is nothing romantic about the life Catherine is forced to lead--she seemed to be merely a puppet of the rest of her family, a pawn in their plan to work the Howards back into the royal family.

Certainly this is a fictional account of Howard's story, but it is vividly told and beautifully written. And there are certain factual events and people that are included, showing that Libby obviously did her research. After the story, she has also included a helpful note about some of the true events depicted in her novel. It truly was a fascinating look into life in the royal court during Henry VIII's reign. It was a life I certainly would not have wanted to live. I appreciated the fact that Libby's account was more sympathetic with Catherine, though I don't imagine we will ever truly know what happened to cause her downfall. All I know is that it seems you could not trust anyone if you were Catherine, and that likely applied to all royalty. Throughout the story I found myself questioning various characters--lords, ladies, members of Catherine's court--and whether or not they could be trusted. Small actions and words frequently seemed suspicious and I felt sorry for the life poor Catherine Howard had to lead.

I would imagine fans of historical fiction and Tudor England would enjoy this book. Not surprisingly, there are many allusions to sex, but there is nothing very graphic. I'm not sure that I would market it as a young adult novel, but it is certainly written that way and has that feel. I thought Catherine's story was beautifully told, engaging throughout, and the pages flew by as I read.(less)

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Apr 26, 2012 Siew Ee rated it 3 of 5 stars

A historical novel based on the life of Henry VIII’s fifth wife, Catherine Howard. I read this book to understand how Catherine ascended to the unenviable position of queen, how she handled the complicated court life as well as political machinations at such a young age. Obviously, she did not manage her queenship well at all as we all know what happened to her in the end.

The author managed to make me feel really sorry for young Catherine who was ruthlessly manipulated by the Howard family to g...more

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Mar 25, 2012 Laura Navarre rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Lovers of historical fiction, Tudor fiction (e.g., Philippa Gregory)

Shelves: historical-fiction

Despite the lavish abundance of Tudor stories (including mine!) that currently occupy the market, I’m a helpless slave to the period and can’t help reading just about all of them. So it was with The King’s Rose, which tells the brief, tragic story of Catherine Howard—Henry VIII’s fifth queen and the second he beheaded—at the tender age of sixteen.

Every author has her own take on the doomed, romantic figures of Henry’s many queens. Alisa M. Libby’s first person account of Catherine’s rise and fa...more Despite the lavish abundance of Tudor stories (including mine!) that currently occupy the market, I’m a helpless slave to the period and can’t help reading just about all of them. So it was with The King’s Rose, which tells the brief, tragic story of Catherine Howard—Henry VIII’s fifth queen and the second he beheaded—at the tender age of sixteen.

Every author has her own take on the doomed, romantic figures of Henry’s many queens. Alisa M. Libby’s first person account of Catherine’s rise and fall is beautifully written, and at times very poignant. I pleasurably sobbed my way through the last fifty pages of naïve and helpless Catherine’s imprisonment and slow acceptance of her looming fate. The tempestuous young queen is tormented (much like teenagers everywhere) by her doomed love for king’s groom Thomas Culpeper, terrified of her royal husband’s growing madness, haunted by the ghosts of past Tudor tragedies and the dangerous indiscretions of her thinly-veiled past. Ultimately, despite her frustrating immaturity and a corresponding inability to become anything more than the king’s pretty plaything, the lonely Catherine Howard in The King’s Rose is a deeply sympathetic and endearingly flawed heroine. In the end, her downfall is hastened by her own ruthlessly ambitious family, the same Howards and Norfolks whose abandonment betrayed her cousin Anne Boleyn to her grave.

Overall, I found Libby’s treatment of Catherine Howard’s brief life to be a compelling and moving retelling of this Tudor tragedy. The narrative remains firmly on Catherine rather than the colorful Tudor offspring, the northern rebellion against Henry called the Pilgrimage of Grace, or other historical highlights of the period. Nonetheless, the author offers a richly-textured alternative to the view of Catherine as a thoroughly selfish simpleton in Philippa Gregory’s The Boleyn Inheritance, which I also heartily recommend. Indeed, I consumed Libby’s entire novel in a day, staying up into the wee sma’s to finish it! This is a worthy addition to the Tudor mythos and a recommended read for fans of the period and character-driven, woman-centered historical fiction.
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Dec 12, 2010 Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

This, quite frankly, was not a book I enjoyed reading (hence the three stars.) It is, however, a great book.

A few points:

1) The protagonist Catherine, as one of Henry VII's wives, is doomed from the start, and the author is unflinching in addressing this.

2) The prose can be a bit heavy-handed at times, too noticeable, too prosy. Mostly, though, it's smooth; different in exactly the right way, always reminding you while you read that the book is historical, but not distracting you from the story....more

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Nov 17, 2009 Aik Chien 인첸 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Catherine Howard, King Henry’s 'rose without a thorn' was only fifteen years old when she caught the his lustful eye. Her life changed that very moment. She was introduced to a glamorous and luxurious world which she had not encountered before she became Queen. At first, she found it interesting to pamper herself with gorgeous, specially-tailored gowns and dresses, exquisite, one-of-a-kind jewels and indulge herself in elaborate revelries.

It was not long before she realized the truth that she wa...more Catherine Howard, King Henry’s 'rose without a thorn' was only fifteen years old when she caught the his lustful eye. Her life changed that very moment. She was introduced to a glamorous and luxurious world which she had not encountered before she became Queen. At first, she found it interesting to pamper herself with gorgeous, specially-tailored gowns and dresses, exquisite, one-of-a-kind jewels and indulge herself in elaborate revelries.

It was not long before she realized the truth that she was merely a pawn of the Howard clan in a game of power and politics. She had to hide her true self and burn her past, for many were out there, waiting for a chance to pull her down into the big, black abyss of no return.

I feel pity for Catherine Howard, because she did not have a choice. In fact, she never had. She was only a teenage girl who had no rule over her own fate. I won't reveal the ending for those who haven't read this book, but I assure you that The King's Rose, a story constructed on accurate historical facts, is exceptionally well-written, highly entertaining, and plausible.

Alisa uses her fascinating style of writing to deliver the story in Catherine’s point of view, which gives me a more exact idea of her feelings, emotions and life. Catherine’s character is portrayed realistically, but somehow, readers will feel that this young girl is very naïve. Alisa describes the Tudor court brilliantly. Thou shalt not trust anyone in court. The court is a dangerous place full of conspiracies, backstabbers and powerful clans who are hungry for power.

The King’s Rose is written for young adults but I think adults will enjoy it as well. Through this novel, you will know more about Catherine's life as the fifth wife of King Henry, relish the grandeur of the Tudor court, and have a real view of what is it like to life in a place where you are all alone and there is nobody you can trust. Overall, The King's Rose is a great read. If you are a fan of historical fictions, you MUST read this book. I promise you will love it! Lastly, if you think being married to a King means a fairytale with a happy ending, maybe you would want to consider about it again.
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Oct 29, 2009 Colleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

As someone whose love of history (especially the Tudors) dates back to her early teens, I was really looking forward to reading this book aimed at readers aged 14 and up. I did find the book to be an engaging treatment of the story of Catherine Howard's marriage, especially as she is so often overlooked in favor of her more flamboyant predecessor. The writing was crisp and the pacing of the book was excellent.

I also think Libby did a wonderful job capturing the voice of her 15 year-old protagon...more

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Oct 27, 2009 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: tudors, historical-fiction

I'm embarrassed to admit this (being the huge Tudor freak that I am), but I've never known much about Catherine Howard, Henry the VIII's fifth wife. Of course I knew how she met her demise, thanks to the singsong "Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived" they teach children in school. But I am ashamed to say I never actually knew WHY she was beheaded.

Thank goodness someone finally wrote a book about her! She is the least talked about of the wives, and not many authors have cared t...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Sakinah Azmi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

My review - http://lovinorhating.blogspot.com/201...

Amazing. It is just an amazing historical fiction book. And this is going to be a bit long review..or maybe a lot lol

It is a remarkable story of King Henry VIII's fifth wife (and for those who don't know, he had 6 wives), Catherine Howard. She was married to the King at the age of fifteen (when the King was nearly 50) and was executed under the charge of adultery approximately two years after her marriage with the King. This book is told from C...more My review - http://lovinorhating.blogspot.com/201...

Amazing. It is just an amazing historical fiction book. And this is going to be a bit long review..or maybe a lot lol

It is a remarkable story of King Henry VIII's fifth wife (and for those who don't know, he had 6 wives), Catherine Howard. She was married to the King at the age of fifteen (when the King was nearly 50) and was executed under the charge of adultery approximately two years after her marriage with the King. This book is told from Catherine's perspective, young and beautiful but with a doomed life. Alisa M. Libby has provided an up-close and personal narrative that truly brings Catherine to life. No detail has been overlooked, every aspect has been thoroughly researched. Libby has a way of writing that captivates the reader. Well, I was captivated by this one at least.

Catherine was born in a family that technically uses her to increase their status at the court. She was just fifteen (as mentioned before) when she caught the eyes of the King. She was given no right to choose whether to accept it or vice versa since she was not a royal, plus with the urge from her family. She ended up accepting the proposal. What interesting here is, she became the girl her family created her to be, or the girl the King wished her to be. Catherine was pictured to the King as a pure girl, who had so much common things with the late Queen Jane who was much loved by the King. So, she was forced to be the girl and to burn her past, pretended like it never existed at the first place. And thus, her life of deception began.

Provided by the King's love and the power and support she gained from her family, Catherine believed that she had more power than her late cousin who were also the King's widely known second wife, Anne Boleyn. Boleyn was also executed in the charge of bewitching the King in their marriage. At least that was what everyone thought. Catherine then learned that Boleyn was nothing like that. She was destroyed because the King was annoyed with her or something which made her family came to the conclusion that she was no longer a help to them. So, they came together to destroy her. I know... Back to Catherine's story. Then, long story shorten, Catherine soon found herself shadowed by her past life. She was forced to take girls from Lambeth (her old home) in her household, basically to keep their mouths shut for they knew some black secrets of her during her past life there. She was also pressured by her undying love for her past partner, Thomas Culpepper (who actually worked for the King) and the fact that she was unable to provide an heir to the King, she was forced to restart her affair with Culpepper. Then, her love for him bloomed again and bla bla bla she slipped back into her old life.

Fast forward. Then her foolish actions came to light. The Howards came to the conclusion that she was no use to them anymore, so Catherine was abandoned. The King no longer thought of her as his rose without thorn, and the fact that she had hurt, humiliated and broke his heart is too painful to bear. One by one people related to Catherine was taken in into the Tower, and was tortured and asked about information of the real Catherine. Here is the part where it touched my heart the strongest. Catherine was betrayed by Thomas-the man who used to vow that he would protect her from anything, condemned by her family as well as Lady Rochford, who helped her all the way into the court and stayed by her side every seconds. She was haunted by the ghost of Boleyn. She then realised that her fate and her cousin's fate was intertwined. They were both known as traitors to the King's heart.

During her imprisonment, she was aided by three maids, who were so kind to her. They treated her like a queen although they knew she would be executed. They prayed with her, and they forced her to share her pain with them, as Catherine became hysterical day by day about the truth that she crammed inside her. After spitting everything out to her three trusted maids, she felt better. And she no longer acted hysterically. At the night before her execution day, she was said to practise laying her head on the block, brought to her room at her request. She accept her death calmly, though she was afraid and needed aid from her crying maids to get up the stairs. She put a coin into the hand of the executioner and said she forgave him for what he would do later. (THAT was so...huh...) She asked the people to pray for her, and silently prayed for forgiveness from God. And after a little bit of pain, she saw a bright light that does not hurt her eyes. And she was smiling. She said, she was finally home. Oh my...

It's a book that touched my interest, and eventually my heart. We always hear that this not famous queen was a mere traitor to the King. Through this book, I can actually see that she was merely a young and fresh girl, too young to carry the burden of becoming a queen, adjusting herself to survive in the court and at the same time satisfying the need of an aging King despite the all the knowledge she learnt from the Duchess. And about Thomas, I really think that he spit out the truth about Catherine after being tortured too much. I am quite sure that he still loved her until his death because the day he died, Catherine saw him outside her window, pale but serene, smiled to her and waved before he turned and walked away. Or it could may be just something Catherine pictured herself, since she was not really in her right mind then. But, according to popular folklore, her final words were, "I die a Queen, but I would rather have died the wife of Culpeper," although this is widely discredited. One of the parts that will stay embedded in my memory from the book is at the end where Catherine is pleading to the King to show mercy and Henry just passes by without even a nod in her direction. To think that she was not famous compared to her extremely infamous cousin is such a sad thing.

This will be one my fav books of ALL time. 6/5. Libby is just so awesome.
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Mar 25, 2010 Mariah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, for-review, march-10, tour

The stories of King Henry VIII his wives, and his children have to be some of my favorite ever! I absolutely love that time period in English History. So needless to say I was really excited to read this book!

This is the story of King Henry's fifth wife, and one of the ones that is less heard of. I really enjoyed learning more about Catherine Howard, I enjoyed seeing her relationship and confusion during her marriage with Henry, Alisa Libby really shows the doubts that Catherine must have felt...more

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Aug 14, 2009 Katrina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2009

I developed a bit of a fascination with the wives of King Henry VIII after having read The Other Boleyn Girl, so I was pleasantly surprised to see a book written for young adults about one of his wives. Overall, I enjoyed the book, although I did find Catherine to be a bit naive about where Henry's love and loyalties lay. It was as if she was unaware of the fates of his previous wives, so I did find that a bit hard to swallow. I was also annoyed with the ending; I felt like things dragged on a b...more

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Dec 16, 2009 Courtney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, teen-fiction

I have a bizarre obsession with all things Tudor and Elizabethan, so I got pretty excited when I found out about a book imagining the life of Catherine Howard, cousin to the far more infamous Anne Boleyn. I already knew how things would end up, but it's so rare to see more than a mere mention of Catherine that it was more than worth the read.
The book is well-written and picks up with Catherine right before she marries Henry VIII. She plays her role well, unaware of the high toll that role will...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

The King's Rose, by Alisa M. Libby, tells the tale of King Henry VIIII's fifth wife, Catherine Howard. It begins as Catherine remembers her cousin, Anne Boleyn, as King Henry's second wife and her ultimate downfall. Catherine dreams of becoming the fifth wife of Henry and giving Henry what his previous wives couldn't give him, a son. The book continues on, artfully describing Catherine's rise to power and her disgrace, just like Anne. This historical novel weaves together the life of one of thos...more

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Apr 17, 2009 Kara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: tudor-fiction, want-to-buy, tudor-wife-5

Alisa Libby tackles the events of Henry VIII's fifth marriage, and takes a shot, like so many historical fiction writers before and after her, at getting into the main player's heads. This isn't the best re-creation of the historic events, but it is a very good story, suggesting Katherine perhaps wasn't as stupid as everyone thinks. I don't agree with all the choices Libby makes with her characters, (Thomas's character, for example, is way too softened - let us not forget he was a rapist) but I...more

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Aug 11, 2010 Brigita rated it 2 of 5 stars

Perhaps my two stars are a bit unjust, but I couldn't really get into the book. The reason for that is that I already knew Cathrine Howard's story very well from reading Phillipa Gregory's novel. I know the story couldn't be any different than it was due to historic facts, but still, it felt like I was re-reading Gregory's Boleyn's Inheritance.

When a novel is written based on facts and an event that has already taken place and therefore everyone knows how it ended, the writing and plotting must...more

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Jul 10, 2009 Alaine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, young-adult

I loved Alisa Libby's story about Catherine Howard, Henry VIII's 5th wife. It is a tragic story of a young girl of 15 who is used by her family, loved by a king and betrayed by her past.

One of the things made clear in this novel is the greed of the main players at court, the Howard's and the Seymour's. This poor girl never had a chance, the Seymour's wanted her dead so that Jane's son Edward would be King and as he was only 4 years old one of them would be the caretaker of the crown. These famil...more

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May 15, 2009 Haley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, read-in-2009, romance, young-adult

If anyone knows anything about English history, then they most likely know about Henry VIII. If the know about any of his wives it would probably be the most notorious one, Anne Boleyn, the tragic queen that Henry split off from the Roman Catholic Church for. The mother of the woman who would have an era named after her(Elizabethan).
But few know about her cousin, Catherine Howard, who meets an equally disturbing fate. Her predicament of marriage is almost even worse- she was fifteen and in love...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Mikaela Lönnqvist rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: medievalness-fiction-non-fiction

I was excited to read about the 5th wife of Henry VIII, because we don't hear enough about her. She tends to be forgotten and discarded as the "slut" who deserved her fate. In her case, it was probably true, but it was not her fault and the poor girl was very young and naive.

Alas, I was incredibly disappointed. The book felt short, it was boring and felt like a book for 12-year-old girls and there were endless descriptions of her royal outfits. It would be okay to read to make time pass, but I w...more

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Aug 30, 2010 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, young-adult

Recently I've been reading a lot of historical fiction, and it's hard to tell which are going to be good, and which are the duds.

Happily, this one turned out well.

I've always been interested by Katherine Howard, Henry VIII's fifth and youngest wife. She always struck me as a girl too young (or perhaps just too silly) to maneuver through the treacherous waters of the Tudor court. This is that story.

Katherine is caught up in her family's machinations as they try to re-create the power they held w...more

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Mar 31, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 571, historical, post-2000, realistic, young-adult

The story of Catherine Howard, Henry VIII's fifth wife.

I really enjoyed this. I think I have a soft spot for Tudor England and the court of Henry VIII. I was a bit worried that this was going to be too much romance and not enough history (from the book jacket) but it wasn't at all. I commented early on to a friend that I wished I knew more history so I would know what happened before I read it - and then she told me and I wished I hadn't asked! But, the book was very well done. I think Catherine...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Brittany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Brittany by: Cindy

Shelves: historical-fiction, young-adult

Catherine never asked to be Queen, but greatness was thrust upon her by the Howard family. At first Catherine thought it might not be so bad and it wouldn't have been if she could produce an heir. That's all King Henry wants, an heir. Catherine's family decides that desperate times call for desperate measures and they have to do anything they can to get her pregnant before it's too late.

So last month I read and reviewed Gilt by Katherine Longshore which is also about the 5th wife of King Henry V...more

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Jul 27, 2009 Briony Zlomke rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, historical-fiction

Being a Tudor History fan, I was originally very excited about this book; however, once I finished it, I was quite indifferent to it. I can see the angle that the author was attempting by keeping Catherine’s attention on producing an heir, keeping beautiful, and wanting to be entertained, as Catherine Howard was supposedly a senseless girl, who lacked the intelligence and wit that her notorious cousin, Anne Boleyn had. However, to someone, particularly a teen, who has not studied or read on the...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, library-book, world

A good first-person account of the short life of Catherine Howard, the second of King Henry VIII's wives to be beheaded. It's mostly sympathetic, told by Catherine, and quite emotional. This story takes the idea that Catherine was nothing but a pawn in her family's hands, left to bear the brunt of scandal on her own when her history was found out. I kind of hate reading historical fiction where I know what's going to happen in the end, but I unexpectedly found a lump in my throat reading about h...more

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Jun 11, 2010 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010

Review in 75 words or less: A throughly enjoyable historical fiction novel. I found this novel to be a breath of fresh air in a sometimes dry and/or dull genre. The plot was well researched, and the reader can tell that the author cares very much about the topic as well as the characters, both fictional and historical.While the whole novel was great, it was the ending that had me amazed. It was filled with breathtaking emotions that will move you.

Final verdict: A lovely historical novel which fo...more

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Jan 11, 2010 Angela Simmons rated it 5 of 5 stars

In “The King’s Rose”, author Alisa M. Libby brings to life the fifth wife of King Henry VIII.

Born into a family that was notorious for using the women of their family as stepping stones to enhance their status at court, young Catherine Howard becomes their pawn in the devious game of court elevation. Allowed to behave in an unscrupulous manner while living in the house of her grandmother the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, Catherine must now burn her past and pretend it never existed. Knowing that t...more In “The King’s Rose”, author Alisa M. Libby brings to life the fifth wife of King Henry VIII.

Born into a family that was notorious for using the women of their family as stepping stones to enhance their status at court, young Catherine Howard becomes their pawn in the devious game of court elevation. Allowed to behave in an unscrupulous manner while living in the house of her grandmother the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, Catherine must now burn her past and pretend it never existed. Knowing that the King’s marriage to Anne of Cleves is drawing close to an end, the Howard’s are once again determined to place one of their own back upon the English throne. Placing Catherine in front of the King, they have built her up as a woman of amazing virtue, much like Henry’s much beloved Queen Jane. Catherine soon finds that she has won the heart of the aging King. Concluding that combination of the King’s love, and the power of the Howard’s Catherine allows herself to believe that she would hold more power than any of Henry’s previous Queens, including her cousin Anne Boleyn. The new Queen soon finds herself surrounded by her old life. The girls that Catherine shared her lodgings and her secrets with during her stay with the Dowager Duchess come calling for a position in her Royal household. Allowing them to join her retinue, Catherine knows she must keep them close to avoid her past from coming to light. Unable to rid herself of the past she was told to destroy and unable to provide King Henry with an heir to throne, she is told that she must restart her affaire with her previous lover, Thomas Culpepper. Enlisting the aid of Lady Rochford, Anne Boleyn’s sister-in-law, who was the downfall of Ann, Catherine slips back into her old life. Suddenly Catherine’s fears become reality when a pair of familiar eyes greet her from behind the mask of a devil, she now realizes that her past is alive and raging like an inferno. The Howard’s now have come to the conclusion that Catherine is of no use to them and brings her transgressions to light. No longer is she the King’s rose without a thorn, she has hurt, betrayed, and humiliated the man who has loved her, the man who has the power to destroy those whom he has raised. Catherine finds herself condemned by her lover, Thomas, the man who has sworn to protect her, and betrayed by her family as well as Lady Rochford. Continuously haunted by her cousin Anne Boleyn, she now learns that she will share her fate as well as her final resting place. Anne and Catherine’s fate are now intertwined forever to be known as traitors to the Kings heart.

“The King’s Rose”, is a remarkable story showcasing the short life of Catherine Howard. Told from Catherine’s perspective, “The King’s Rose”, offers a fresh perspective on the life of this young, doomed queen. Alisa M. Libby has provided us with an up-close and personal narrative that truly brings Catherine to life. No detail has been overlooked, every aspect has been thoroughly researched. Alisa M. Libby has a way of writing that captivates the reader. You can feel the inner war that Catherine is constantly wagging within herself.

As a reader of both nonfiction and fiction works pertaining to the Tudors, I found this book to be a very interesting read. I enjoyed the fact that Alisa chose to write about one of Henry’s lesser known queens. I feel that she has given a voice to Catherine, so that her story though it may be fictional is told. One of the parts that will stay embedded in my memory from the book is at the end where Catherine is pleading to the King to show mercy and Henry just passes by without even a nod in her direction. Reading “The King’s Rose” is sure to provoke an endless steam of thoughts and discussions.
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Jul 15, 2009 Kristin rated it 4 of 5 stars

A new and different approach to the Tudors and Henry VIII, Alisa Libby’s The King’s Rose tells the story of Henry’s fifth wife, Catherine Howard. Cousin to Anne Boleyn, Catherine’s story reveals her concerns with the marriage even before the king’s proposal. Free from any glaring historical anomalies, The King’s Rose builds upon real letters and testimonies to develop a love plot between Catherine and her cousin Thomas.

The King’s Rose is structured around the contradictions of court life. Even t...more

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Dec 11, 2010 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Beautifully written historical fiction on Catherine Howard, King Henry VIII's fifth wife, and his rose without a thorn. It chronicles Catherine's rapid rise from lady-in-waiting to Henry's queen, where a series of mistakes (her affair with Thomas Culpeper, among others) lead to her downfall.

The final chapters dealing with her imprisonment and eventual death were superbly written - my favorite scenes are when Catherine is visited by her cousin Anne Boleyn's ghost, and the very last scene in the n...more

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Aug 30, 2010 Bethany Huang rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Normally I would like to read any type of Historical Fiction-but after reading a few chapters, I got really bored with this book. The same thing can be repeated in this book; "You have to get the king's favor and win the throne, Catherine." but of course, things don't turn out the way they wanted it to-she does win the throne-but she gets beheaded on the way,

I don't particularly like this book, as I said before. The way Catherine was described showed me that she only really cared about Jewels an...more

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Oct 28, 2010 Tamra rated it 3 of 5 stars

I didn't know much about King Henry VIII's fifth wife. What a sad life for such a young woman. She was completely manipulated and looked upon as nothing more than a means to an end for her family and their greed to rise to the top of the royal circles. Your life as a young woman in those days was definitely not your own. King Henry's behavior and treatment of Catherine before and during their marriage as well as after her execution spoke volumes of his insecurities as a king and as a man. Althou...more

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About Alisa M. Libby

Hi there, it's me, Alisa. I write this bio blurb just one week before the release of my second book, The King's Rose. The feeling of waiting for a book's publication has been likened to standing in line for a very large rollercoaster, which I think is an apt description. Anxiety aside, I'm really thrilled to share this book with everyone: it's historical fiction about Catherine Howard, the fifth w...more

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